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Silver Spring gets a taste of Hollywood style
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People enter the AFI Silver Theatre at 8633 Colesville Road in Silver Spring, Maryland for the Fourth Annual SilverDocs Film Festival on Friday. The Film Festival has been one component to help spur revitalization in the downtown Silver Spring area.
SILVER SPRING, Md. (Map, News) - Here’s the scene: Film director Martin Scorsese steps out of a limo, onto a red carpet outside of a state-of-the-art theater as cameras flashed and crowds gathered.
Hollywood? Hardly. Try downtown Silver Spring.
For six days each June the AFI Silver Theatre sparkles for its nationally acclaimed film festival — the SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival.
It draws hundreds of filmmakers, film executives and film fans to watch movies, win awards, hire new talent and push documentary filmmaking into the spotlight.
“We’re never going to be a Tribeca, or a Sundance because we only show documentary films,” said Jodie Arlington, AFI Theatre press manager. “But we’ve certainly created every element a festival could have to be on a world class circuit.”
In its fourth year, the international festival will screen almost 100 films from more than 42 countries; include a conference of workshops, seminars and events for film professionals; give out $40,000 in film awards; and honor one filmmaker each year at the Annual Charles Guggenheim Symposium.
This year’s honoree was Scorsese, one of this county’s most celebrated directors.
But an up-and-coming film festival needs atmosphere — and that’s where the improved downtown Silver Springs comes in.
“In the past three years downtown [Silver Spring] has completely changed,” Arlington said. “With more great restaurants and great stores, AFI Silver and SILVERDOCS is absolutely part of the revitalization.”
With the restored 1939 AFI Silver Theatre, AFI events bring people from all over the world, but also foster local growth.
“We incorporate the whole community,” said Connie Poole, press and public relations manager for AFI Silver Theatre. “There are outdoor screenings on Veterans Field, and many of the locals are AFI members.”
More details
» What: The SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival
» Where: AFI Silver Theatre, downtown Silver Spring
» When: Through Sunday, screenings open to public all day
» Show times and Information: www.silverdocs.com, or call 301-495-6720
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7:10 AM MST on Sat., Nov. 24, 2007 re: "Baltimore man played part in Lennon’s immigration fight"
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7:03 AM MST on Sat., Nov. 24, 2007
re: "Baltimore man played part in Lennon’s immigration fight"
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Examiner Reader said:
If Mr Zolotorow should have concentrated more of his efforts on trying to convince Lennon to resolve his differences with Mcartney,then perhaps we might still have the Fab Four...
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Examiner Reader said:
True,Lennon was an advocate of peace,and an excellent songwriter,but his methods were off the wall,and not very effective,His loss to the music world is still missed.
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